With tougher visa rules, India is sending only its real talent to the US

While on one hand Indian IT companies are worried because of Trump administration's decision to tighten the H-1B visa rules, they have also got a chance to send only the real talent to the US.

As per official US data, computer programmers that were certified as eligible for H-1B visa in 2014 and 2015 made only about 12% of the total number of certified applicants. Not only this, within the category of computer programmers, about 41% applications were for positions at the lowest wage level, as per news agency Bloomberg.

Also read: More trouble? Another country has blocked visas for Indian IT professionals

This lowest wage level refers to jobs that require people to exercise little judgment on their own while performing routine tasks.

IT industry body Nasscom said that this year, several of its members have decided to apply visas for only their higher level professionals, hinting at further drop in the number of applications for lower-level computer programmers.

Also read: US lawmaker alleges Indian companies have “gamed” the H1-B visa system; says his bill will fix it

As per the new memorandum issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), companies that need H-1B visas for their employees for computer programming positions would need to prove that the jobs are complex or specialized and require professional degrees. This would require them to submit additional evidences and documents to convince the authorities that they qualify for an H-1B visa.

Also read: US has no place for Indian computer programmers, coders

(Image source American Immigration Council)